America forever: or A defiance to the bulwark of religion, together with the Yankee sailor

Another in the fallout over Massachusetts governor Caleb Strong’s proclamation, “America Forever; or, A Defiance to the Bulwark of Religion” is in popular broadside style (see The Bulwarks of Religion). It is a patriotic text encouraging support of the war.

“The Yankee Sailor” is a direct parody of a song written by Charles Dibdin’s eldest son, Thomas, to music by William Reeve, beginning “British sailors have a knack” (Dibdin, Songs 244-45). In the Columbian Naval Songster the tune indication is “Pull away yeo ho, Boys” and the text reads like a sailors’ working song. The repeated burden in lines 2 and 8 invite the crew to join in while pulling at their lines in a rhythmic way. Dibdin’s original text is well designed for parodies—only a word here or there needs to be changed and the entire text makes sense in the new environment. While several songs have burdens similar to “Pull (or haul) away yeo ho, Boys,”we have not located Reeve’s music.

The text appeared in the Baltimore Patriot on March 18, 1813. It was preceded by a paragraph of explanation, apparently by the author of the new text, and addressed to William Duane, editor of the Philadelphia Aurora, where it was first printed.

From the Aurora
Mr. Duane—I picked up the following song on a cruise, in the English “Naval Chronicle” for July 1804. By pulling down its colors it may be placed in our own fleet. I look upon such things as lawful prize, and intend to keep a look out for them. As fast as I fall in with them I shall continue to send them in, till there is a complement of one or two for each ship we have taken from Mr. Bull. [signed] JONATHAN. Constitution Lane

The text appeared in a number of papers after this, usually crediting the Aurora as the source; the text appeared in four songsters between 1813 and 1816 (R. Keller).